Tag: This Day in History
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1972: Parcel bomb attack on Israeli embassy
A diplomat at the Israeli embassy in London has been killed by a letter bomb. Dr Ami Sachori received severe chest and stomach injuries when the ... -
1992 UK crashes out of ERM
The government has suspended Britain’s membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The UK’s prime minister and chancellor tried all day to prop up a failing ... -
2000 UK fuel protesters go back home
The fuel protests which have paralysed Britain for seven days, causing a crisis in the NHS, emptying supermarkets shelves and closing schools, have ended. The last ... -
1993 Rabin and Arafat shake on peace deal
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, and the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, have shaken hands before cheering crowds on the White House lawn in Washington. ... -
1976 Chairman Mao Zedong dies
The chief architect of the Chinese revolution, Chairman Mao Zedong, has died at the age of 82. His death – at 10 minutes past midnight – ... -
2000 French fuel protests spread to UK
The fuel protests which have been crippling France for the past week have now reached Britain with a series of actions across the country. The protesters ... -
1992 Troops kill 24 at ANC rally
At least 24 people have been killed and 150 injured when soldiers fired on an African National Congress demonstration on the border of Ciskei in South ... -
1997 Diana’s funeral watched by millions
Britain and the world have said farewell to Diana, Princess of Wales, at the end of an unprecedented week of mourning. A four mile procession brought ... -
1997 Mother Teresa dies
Mother Teresa, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who devoted her life to helping the sick and the poor, has died at the age of 87. She ... -
1979 Ripper suspected of 12th murder
Police have discovered the body of a young woman – thought to be the 12th victim of the “Yorkshire Ripper” – in an alleyway near the ... -
1959 Anglo-US TV debate makes history
British prime minister Harold Macmillan (pictured) and American president Dwight Eisenhower have given an historic live television broadcast from Downing Street. Among the subjects the two ... -
1980 Polish workers win trade union rights
Striking Polish workers have won a sweeping victory in a two-month battle with their Communist rulers for the right to independent trade unions and the right ... -
1975 Rhodesia peace talks fail
Talks between the Rhodesian Government and the African National Council (ANC) have collapsed acrimoniously. Negotiations to bring about a cease fire in the civil war broke ... -
1993: Michael Jackson accused of child abuse
Police in Los Angeles are investigating allegations of child abuse made against singer Michael Jackson. They have refused to give details but it has emerged that ... -
1985 West German spy chief defects to East
The head of West German counter-intelligence has been unmasked as an East German spy. Hans-Joachim Tiedge’s treachery became known after he defected to East Germany yesterday. ... -
1969 Woodstock music festival ends
Thousands of young people are heading home after three days and nights of sex, drugs and rock and roll at the Woodstock music festival. An estimated ... -
1998 Clinton admits Lewinsky affair
President of the United States Bill Clinton has admitted having an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In a televised address Mr Clinton ... -
1977 Rock and roll ‘king’ Presley dies
Elvis Presley, whose singing and style revolutionized popular music in the 1950s, has died. Presley, 42, was discovered slumped in a bathroom at his mansion in ... -
1964: Great Train Robber escapes from jail
A massive manhunt is underway across Britain after one of the so-called Great Train Robbers escaped from Winson Green Prison in Birmingham. Charlie Wilson, 32, was ... -
1999 Millions marvel at total eclipse
Up to 350 million people in Europe and Asia have witnessed the last total solar eclipse of the century. The phenomenon began over the Atlantic, a ... -
2001 Hamiltons condemn ‘sex assault’ arrest
Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and wife Christine have strenuously denied allegations they carried out a serious sexual assault. The couple have been released “pending further ... -
1945 Atom bomb hits Nagasaki
American forces have dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki – the second such attack on Japan in three days. The bomb was dropped by parachute from ... -
1974 President Nixon to resign from office
Richard Nixon has announced he is stepping down as president of the United States – the first man ever to do so. He has announced his ... -
1962 Marilyn Monroe found dead
Screen icon Marilyn Monroe has been found dead in bed at her Los Angeles home. The 36-year-old actress’ body was discovered in the early hours of ... -
1964 Three civil rights activists found dead
The bodies of three civil rights workers missing for six weeks have been found buried in a partially constructed dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Agents from the ... -
1990 UK temperatures reach record high
A weather station in Leicestershire has recorded the highest temperature ever known in Britain. The figure of 37.1C, or 99F, recorded at a weather station in ... -
1984 Euro Court condemns phone-tapping
A Surrey businessman who accused the police of illegally tapping his phone is celebrating after a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. James Malone, ... -
1976 Lauda fights for life after Grand Prix crash
Formula One racing driver Niki Lauda is in a critical condition in hospital after an horrific accident at the Nurburgring Grand Prix in Germany. The Austrian-born ... -
1981 Charles and Diana marry
Crowds of 600,000 people filled the streets of London to catch a glimpse of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on their wedding day. The couple ... -
1965 US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam
President Johnson has commited a further 50,000 US troops to the conflict in Vietnam. Monthly draft calls will increase from 17,000 to 35,000 – the highest ... -
1965 Heath is new Tory leader
Shadow Chancellor Edward Heath has beaten off his rivals in the Conservative leadership contest triggered by last week’s unexpected resignation of Sir Alec Douglas-Home. Mr Heath’s ... -
1956 Egypt seizes Suez Canal
Egypt’s president, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, has announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company to provide funding for the construction of the Aswan High Dam. ... -
1978 First ‘test tube baby’ born
The birth of the world’s first “test tube baby” has been announced in Manchester. Louise Brown was born shortly before midnight in Oldham and District General ... -
1977 Deng Xiaoping back in power
The disgraced deputy Prime Minister of China, Deng Xiaoping, is to return to Chinese Government. The Chinese Communist Party conference has restored him to the offices ... -
1969 Man takes first steps on the Moon
American Neil Armstrong has become the first man to walk on the Moon. The astronaut stepped onto the Moon’s surface, in the Sea of Tranquility, at ...
